by Maia Starr
"Story? What story?”
"I want you to tell me what happened the day that you killed Cultan. I want you to tell me what led up to his death. I want you to tell me how you killed him and what happened after."
"Why should I?” I asked.
He smiled and said, “I really do like your feisty nature. I can only imagine what you were like in bed. But if you tell me what I want to know, then I will make sure that you are fed a very hearty dinner. You will be supplied with water until you are no longer in this prison tower.”
"You mean until you kill me?”
"No, until Viqer kills you,” he said.
"Fine, I agree to those terms. Dinner and water unlimited,” I said. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, ready to listen to the story of how his leader had died.
"I was taken from a campground where I was in the woods. I was taken to the secret base that you know of. I was set to leave the very next day when the Earth army showed up at the base."
"Go on..."
"Your leader, Cultan, stole me; he abducted me. He took me from my life and was going to force me to marry a Corillion. He grabbed my leg when I was running away during the raid by the Earth army. I tripped and fell, and he was pulling on my leg. There was a blaster gun near me, so I grabbed it and shot him. He is the one at fault for his own death. If he would not have stolen me in the first place, maybe he would still be alive, if the Earth army would not have gotten to him anyway. He is the one that is at fault for his own death, not I. I was only acting in self-defense. I do not deserve your judgment or your vengeance,” I said to him.
Titeq began to laugh uncontrollably. I did not know why he was laughing. He was almost on the verge of tears, and his laughing was like a mad man who had lost control.
"I have to thank you for getting rid of Cultan. It seems to me that you are not the dangerous assassin I thought you were. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is too bad for you. But I must thank you for getting rid of Cultan for me. You made it easy for me to be the new leader. I was planning to assassinate him upon his return, but I would have to make it look like an accident. It was going to be very complex, but you did all the work for me. Thank you, Saramina,” he said.
My eyes grew wide in shock. I could not believe what I was hearing. This was all some game to him.
"You see, Saramina, I have to act like I am very angry about the death of Cultan. I have to act like I want revenge more than anything and you poor human are the sacrifice of that pretend revenge. Sorry," he said with a smile.
I narrowed my eyes at him. I wanted to kill him too. “I am your sacrifice so that you look innocent!”
"But I am innocent.”
Smack! I slapped him across the face. Just as he had done to me. He smiled and then looked at me up-and-down. “You are very feisty. It is a shame to waste you on this pretend revenge of mine. I would prefer to take you as a wife.”
"Never,” I sneered at him.
"Tell me, Saramina, has Viqer had his way with you?” he asked me suddenly.
I tried to hide the look on my face, but I don't think that I was successful. He could read right through me.
"Your eyes tell me the answer is yes. I don't blame him. I can see why he would find you very tempting. He is a warrior and likes the warrior traits he sees inside of you. I might find that I like it too before we do away with you; besides, Viqer has a wife that is nothing like you, and I could see why he would be enticed to play,” he said.
I gasped. “He has a wife? He has a human female wife? He is married?”
He laughed again like a madman. “He did not tell you? Of course, he did not. Why would he? You are but a prisoner, and he was just having his fun with you. Why would you need to know his personal relations? But don't worry, after he kills you, his wife would have no need of knowing about you. Viqer is a fierce warrior, he is the best of the best, and that is all that he thinks about. I hope that you did not trust him with your heart. He is not of that sort of emotion; that is why he makes a great warrior. I have to keep an eye on him because he is so good. I do not want him getting any ideas about taking my place. So I will keep him busy with many missions to go on. He likes the hunt and the kill. It will get any ideas about taking my place out of his system."
"I hope he does kill you and takes your place,” I sneered at him.
He laughed again and said, “I would love to stay here and play with you like this. I could see how it could get passionate very quickly. But I am very busy today. I have your death plan. I have the exhibit of your dead body to display near the Earth Embassy, and a fierce warrior to control to do it all for me. It is exhausting pretending to want revenge when I am actually filled with joy at the death of Cultan. I must go now. But I might be back for you to sample what Viqer has sampled already."
"Return and try that on me and I will kill you just like I killed Cultan. Do not test me,” I said to him, but he did not turn around as he left the prison cell.
I sat down on the bed with a glass of water wishing that it was something stronger. I was filled with anger and hate toward Viqer. He never once mentioned that he was married. But I should have known the way he was already educated on a woman's body. He knew things that a Corillion that was not married would not know. But I was very angry that this let me know that he was not thinking of me, other than want Titeq said. I was nothing but a game to him, some playtime. This meant that Viqer would go through with it, he would be the one to take my life.
Chapter 10
VIQER KRILLIS
"Bethany, I am sorry I put you through this. We have been together for months, and you are not with offspring. We do not love each other,” I said to my human wife as I sat next to her in our home. I had to set things right, for her, for myself, and for Saramina.
"On Earth, I was infertile. I could not bear children. I said this over and over when I was first taken, and no one listened to me. I told you this over and over when I was given to you, and you did not listen to me,” she said as she began to cry.
I remembered her telling me this, and I just thought she was lying because she did not want to be with me. Now I understood that she was telling the truth; now I understood that I was just a complete asshole.
"I am sorry, Bethany. I'm having this conversation with you because I need to know one thing. Would it please you to go back to Earth?” I asked her.
She stopped crying, and her eyes lit up. “Seriously? Yes! But that is not possible. I want nothing more than to go back to Earth,” she said.
"I can make that happen. But it would be a very dangerous journey. That is only a decision that you can make. You have to decide. But this is the way it would happen. I will put you in a small escape pod here on Krillis. I would coordinate the autopilot to take you to Earth. There you should be rescued. It will be set for hyperspeed mode so you should get there in three days. But you would be alone in the escape pod, and it is a dangerous journey through space; anything could happen.”
"So my choices are to stay here or take my chances out there and get back to Earth?” she asked.
"Yes. We would do it now. There is no time to lose,” I said to her.
She sat there thinking. Then she got up and grabbed a bag and began to put food and drink in it, enough for four days. I knew her decision.
"Now we must go quickly, and you must not protest anything I say. I'm going to trick the guards that you are being sent to another planet in the Corillion galaxy. But the coordinates will be set for Earth.”
"Dallas. The city on Earth where my home is, is Dallas, in a state called Texas.”
"I will put in those coordinates. Let's go now,” I said as I walked her out of her home. She stopped in the doorway and took one look around for the last time. She placed a kiss on my cheek and said, “Thank you, Viqer. As a husband, this is the best gift that you could give me.”
I smiled, and soon we were on our way to the launch pad. “Out of the way; I need to send this human
female to Altid. A Corillion leader is expecting her, and she is already late,” I said.
The guard moved aside quickly and saluted me. Everyone knew that I had great power here and they did not question me. I moved into the escape pod and put the coordinates for the Earth and the city of Dallas just as she asked. I gave her a hug. She took a deep breath.
"Are you ready?” I asked.
"Yes. I am ready to go home."
I began the procedures, and the engine fired up. She was strapped in and ready to go, and I climbed out of the escape pod and closed the door. I moved quickly away from it and then it shot into space. I watched it until it was out of sight to make sure that no one would chase it. There was a lot of traffic coming and going on this planet, and no one seemed to notice. I sighed in relief. Now I would go get my true mate, Saramina.
I moved quickly across the fortress and ran up the stairs that led to the prison tower. But when I arrived at the prison cell, it was empty. Saramina was nowhere to be found.
"Where is the prisoner? Where is the human female?” I said in anger to the guard. If he had done anything to her, I would have to kill him. He stuttered in fear and replied, “Titeq took her to his private quarters about fifteen minutes ago. She is with him.”
I moved away from him as I growled. If Titeq laid a hand on her, I would kill him. I felt the rage going through my body as I ran down the stairs, taking three steps at a time. I was at the bottom of the stairs in seconds. I ran faster than I had ever run before down the halls. I leaped over a cart being pushed by a Corillion. I knocked two warriors down as I pushed through them. I was on a mission. I was on a warpath.
I made it to the other side of the fortress to the bottom of the stairs that lead to the second tower where Titeq had his quarters. I ran up the stairs taking three at a time. When I got to the door, I opened it slowly.
The door slowly opened and what I saw filled me with insanity. From that moment, I had no control over myself. I was no longer Viqer Krillis, the loyal warrior that obeyed orders and did everything for the well-being of the tribe of Corillion and of Krillis. I became my own person, and my own desires and rage overpowered me. I moved inside the room
Chapter 11
SARAMINA JEDSIN
A chill ran down my back as I saw him standing outside my prison cell with a grin on his face. He had come for me, Titeq had come for me, and I knew what he was thinking. This is what he had promised he would return for.
"Unlock the door and put her in chains,” he said to the guard.
"Yes sir," the guard said as he followed orders. I stared at Titeq with narrowed eyes wondering how I could defend myself from him. The chains on my arms were heavy. But he did not shackle my ankles. Perhaps I could run at some point, I thought to myself.
Titeq yanked on the chain and led me out of the prison cell. We went down the stairs and into a busy hallway. I searched the faces of every single warrior that we passed. I was looking for Viqer. I did not see his face anywhere. I wanted someone to warn him. I loudly said, “Where are you taking me? Has Viqer asked for me?”
I noticed a few warriors turn around and look at me. But I did not know if they would try to find Viqer just to let him know that I spoke his name.
"We are going to my tower living quarters so that we may have a conversation, in private. I promised you that we would have one before I was done with you,” Titeq said as he dragged me along.
I knew this meant he was going to try to take advantage of me. I could not let that happen. Perhaps I could wrap this chain around his neck and strangle him. What would the Corillion do anyway to me? I was already sentenced to die for killing one leader. They couldn't sentence me twice or kill me twice. I try to remain calm and keep focus. I made a note of every turn and door that led to the outside world. Finally, we were at the bottom of the staircase that looked a lot like the spiral staircase that led up to the prison tower. It's seemed to be the same building, only this was much more luxurious. He unlocked the door and pushed me in. His room was the entire tower floor, which on the other end comprised of five different prison cells to which one I had lived in. There were large windows that look out over the launch site as well as the green rolling grasslands.
"I can see why you would want Cultan dead. You just wanted to live in his quarters,” I said loudly.
Titeq gave me a mean look and said, “Never repeat that again. Lower your voice.”
"Why? Are you afraid that someone might overhear that you wanted the leader to be dead?!”
"I was going to be nice to you, but now you leave me no choice,” he said as he pulled on the chains and threw me to the ground.
"Touch me and die!"
He laughed. “Don't say that to me. I already know that you are not some strong assassin and that you killed the leader Cultan only with luck. You will do no harm to me,” he said as he loomed over me and began to take off his clothes.
"Try me,” I said to him, using only my confidence and my reputation to try to scare him. For a second, he flinched. I think he really did think that I could take him on, me, the tiny little social worker from Brooklyn taking on an eight-foot giant with so many muscles and hard scales that I could never compete against.
But then he continued to get naked until he was completely nude in front of me. I began to crawl backwards on the floor away from him. He smiled and put his body on top of mine.
"Get off of me! Get off of me now!” I shouted as I also screamed at the top of my lungs in fright.
He loomed above me with a big smile. He was about to lean down and kiss me. He opened his mouth, but then to my surprise and disgust, blood poured out of his open mouth. Then the edge of a dagger appeared from his throat.
"What…” I whispered in horror.
Titeq rolled off of me to the side and lay dead on the floor. Standing above us was Viqer with a bloody dagger in his hand. I could not believe my eyes. Viqer had just killed his leader. He had an angry look on his face; he was in a complete rage. He was angry, and I did not know if he was about to take that anger out on me too. Did he know that I did not ask for this? I was not the one with Titeq on purpose, but the way he was looking at me made me think that was exactly what he was thinking.
"Get up,” he said with a growl. I was in such shock, I got up to my feet quickly. He grabbed the collar of my dress and pulled me to him. He sneered at me and then turned me around with my back facing his chest. He held the bloody dagger in his hand and put it to my neck.
"What are you doing?” I asked trembling.
"Shut up and walk toward the door," he barked.
I was shaking so badly with each step that I took. I opened the door and walked down the stairs to the bottom where there were two guards standing by.
"The human female has killed Titeq! I will kill her now! I will kill her and take her body to Earth, as was the request of Titeq! Ready a ship now!” he shouted.
There was complete chaos and commotion as a few guards ran up the stairs and others ran down the hall in the direction that Viqer was taking me at knife point. The entire fortress was buzzing with activity, and it was all because of me. The leader had been murdered again, and to the Corillion warriors, it was the same assassin that had killed their first leader, Cultan.
"Let me go,” I said under my breath to Viqer. “How could you do this to me?”
"Shut up, murderer. Walk!" he barked at me.
Tears began to fall down my cheeks as I stepped defiantly with him behind me. I almost wanted to make a quick movement so that he could just stab me right then and there. I had enough of this brutality, and now my heart was broken.
Why did I trust him at all? Titeq had even warned me himself. Viqer did not even tell me that he had a wife. Now I realized that he was just using me the same way that Titeq had to used me. Viqer had his own agenda. He wanted to be the new leader, and I was the perfect way to make that happen. For Titeq, it all happened by accident, but Viqer had planned it out. He waited until I was alone with Titeq,
that way no one would see that it was him that killed Titeq, and not I.
It was the perfect plan. Now no one would know the difference. Viqer would be the hero that would take me and kill me and take my body to Earth and look like the Corillion warrior that carried out the mission that Titeq wanted him to. Titeq had already named him second in command, and everybody was there to witness that order. Now all Viqer had to do was grab it at the first opportunity. Having a human female assassin at the fortress was the perfect way to do it. Sure, I knew and Viqer and Titeq knew that I was no assassin, but the rest of the Corillion tribe still thought of me in that way. There would be no one to tell them otherwise.
"You are a rat. You are using me just so that you can be the new leader,” I said to him.
"Just shut up and walk,” he whispered in my ear in an angry way.
